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Chapter 29 - Chapter 29 Preparations Before Departure

Lying back in his executive chair, Liu Hai felt completely relaxed, as if his bones had been removed, leaving him utterly limp.

"What does it all mean? How could a mere Level 4 civilization involve the suppression of rules and concepts? Even the Intelligent Nexus couldn't calculate an answer."

Recalling the words of the council members in the Council Hall earlier that day, Liu Hai's mind was like a storm-tossed sea, his thoughts tangled in complete disarray, with no clear thread to grasp.

Another question was how they had detected his presence on Garbage Star. This didn't align with the data the Civilization Core had gathered about the Federation. If the Federation truly had such powerful detectors capable of monitoring fluctuations across dozens of light-years in real time, their research on the frontlines of the outer star domains would have already pushed into the heart of alien civilizations. There wouldn't be this back-and-forth attrition, wearing each other down.

None of it made sense. None of it could be untangled.

Liu Hai felt as though something within the Federation had swallowed up all the answers he sought, yet left just enough clues to keep him obsessively chasing after them. It was truly maddening.

The more he tried to make sense of it all, the more chaotic his thoughts became, his mental fluctuations surging violently.

When his mental fluctuations receded, it felt as though life itself was fading into silence. But when they surged upward, it was as if his soul was on the verge of transcending into material reality.

"Detected Inheritor's mental fluctuations exceeding safe biological thresholds. Enforcing mandatory mental suppression and psychic interference."

"Execution complete. Inheritor's mental fluctuations stabilized. Mental darkness erased."

The faint glow of Coral Sea rippled through the office as the shallow-sea creatures began their daily foraging at dawn.

"Did I fall asleep last night?"

Awakening, Liu Hai examined his body, now brimming with energy, and stood up to perform a set of Interstellar Calisthenics.

To his surprise, he found that his memory, physical strength, and coordination had all improved noticeably.

"What's going on?"

When in doubt, consult the Intelligent Nexus. As a program deeply bound to him as the Inheritor, only it could monitor his physical condition at all times.

"Release after mental compression, stabilization following psychological suppression." Liu Hai frowned in confusion. "Speak plainly."

"Normal physical and mental growth after the alleviation of psychological stress." The Intelligent Nexus cut straight to the point.

"You mean I was under too much psychological pressure before?" Liu Hai mused, reflecting on everything that had happened since his arrival on Garbage Star. It did make sense.

From the moment he appeared on Garbage Star—a lawless place—coupled with his mentality being completely out of sync with this era, Liu Hai had been desperately trying to build a safe haven for himself.

That was how the Starsea Fleet came to be. From the very beginning, he hadn't cared about the title of Inheritor. What mattered to him were the technological resources provided by the Civilization Core, which allowed him to produce the means to ensure his personal safety in this interstellar age.

The more he knew, the greater the pressure became. Liu Hai had gone from simply trying to survive on Garbage Star to now fleeing the Federation for survival. It could be said that his deep distrust of the Federation drove his intense desire to establish himself in the outer star domains, far from any interstellar civilization.

Under the intervention of the Intelligent Nexus, these pressures erased their mental burdens and smoothed away their fatigue, ironing out their weary spirits.

With their minds and spirits thus achieving unprecedented relaxation, Liu Hai's body also became deeply at ease from this mental and spiritual tranquility. From his soul down to his cells, his entire being entered a state of profound dormancy.

When Liu Hai awoke, he felt as though he had undergone a complete sublimation, experiencing growth in every aspect.

"So that's how it is!"

After taking some time to adjust to his current physical state, Liu Hai completely let go of his need to interrogate the council for answers. If he couldn't figure it out now, he'd wait until he possessed intermediate or even advanced interstellar civilization technology to explore further. After all, with the Civilization Core inheritance in hand, all he lacked was time.

After breakfast, Liu Hai dialed Li Yali's communication line: "My dear Commander, any updates on the navigation channel application for the fleet's journey to the Hera Star System?""Li Yali smiled as she replied, "Boss, the navigation channel application has entered the queuing phase." It should be approved in about half a month."

"Huh? That fast?" Liu Hai was genuinely surprised to hear it would only take half a month.

After all, there was only one wormhole leading to the Hera Star System, and tens of thousands of spacecraft sought passage through it. Moreover, since two fleets couldn't enter the wormhole simultaneously from both ends, obtaining approval for wormhole transit was usually a complicated affair. Typically, applications had to be submitted six months to a year in advance.

Then, following the route designated by the Wormhole Management Committee, fleets would queue up near the wormhole. To maximize throughput, it was common practice to gather thousands of ships at once for a single transit.

Yet Li Yali was telling him the navigation channel application would be approved in just half a month. Did she have connections, or did she own the wormhole?

Wasn't this like cutting in line at a highway toll booth? Wouldn't they get beaten up for this?

As if reading his thoughts, Li Yali quickly explained, "Don't worry, Boss. I just hitched a ride using an unspoken rule. There's no line-cutting involved, and no connections could bypass the oversight of the federal StarNet on the Wormhole Management Committee."

"Hitched a ride? How?" Liu Hai looked at her skeptically.

Li Yali took a deep breath, somewhat awkwardly. "I had my second uncle temporarily hire the Starsea Fleet as an Escort Fleet."

"Your second uncle?" Liu Hai grew even more puzzled. Li Yali's profile stated she came from an ordinary family—where did this wealthy uncle come from?

"My family is a third-generation branch of the Li Clan on Dora Star. My second uncle is exceptionally talented and leads one of the clan's Exploration Fleets. That's why I could ask him to temporarily hire the Starsea Fleet as an Escort Fleet. The contract will naturally dissolve once we pass through the wormhole," Li Yali explained softly, detailing her family connections.

"So, Boss, do you still think my 3% cut is too expensive?" Li Yali asked with a playful grin.

Liu Hai rubbed his chin and nodded seriously. "It is a bit pricey, but the time saved makes it worth paying."Since the shipping route is almost confirmed, how are the preparations for departure coming along?"

Li Yali pulled out a stack of documents: "Currently, 83.5% of the preparatory work has been completed. The remaining 16.5% will be finished within the next ten days. Once the shipping lanes are secured, the fleet can set sail immediately!"

Liu Hai looked at her with an auntie-like smile. This was the benefit of finding the right talent—complicated tasks that seemed as vast as an ocean could be quickly organized and pushed forward, freeing him from the busy workload. All he needed to do was nod and sign at key moments.

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